Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target Lowered to $215.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its target price trimmed by Jefferies Financial Group from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on BDX. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX traded up $0.49 during trading on Friday, reaching $177.88. 3,068,583 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,454,233. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $186.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.36%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the third quarter. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. now owns 49,935 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,346,000 after buying an additional 1,264 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,301 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,929,000 after acquiring an additional 784 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 2,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 10,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waycross Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Waycross Partners LLC now owns 109,349 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,467,000 after purchasing an additional 2,418 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.